Scotstoun Parish Church (originally Scotstoun United Free Church)

Designed by H E Clifford, Scotstoun United Free Church was dedicated in 1906. The congregation had been established in 1902, with early services being held in the adjacent church hall. The union of 1929 brought the congregation into the Church of Scotland and the parish became Scotstoun East. Following amalgamations with Scotstoun West (1987 - destroyed by fire and demolished) and Whiteinch (1992 - converted into flats), the building was renamed to Scotstoun and Whiteinch Parish Church. The church was later renamed Scotstoun Parish Church after the re-establishment of Whiteinch Parish Church in February 2000 and is now the only remaining church in Scotstoun

Scotstoun Parish Church

This is one of three heritage trails within Scotstoun. They all start and end at Heart of Scotstoun Community Centre. This trail is centred in a busy area with main roads and a well used cycle path which has cyclists, pedestrians and dog walkers. Please make sure you exercise caution at all times and where  possible use pedestrian crossings.

The community centre, car park and gardens are on land which was once occupied by The Albion Motor Car Company (1903).Heart of Scotstoun took part in their first ever Doors Open Day in Sept 2019 where months of hard work and research put together an exhibition about Albion. Over 200 people came along to see the pictures and information boards, renew old friendships and make new ones

Heart of Scotstoun Community Centre with The Cherry Tree Café opened in January 2011. Towards the end of the construction phase the original name of "Heart for Scotstoun" was dropped in favour of "Heart of Scotstoun"






Heart of Scotstoun Community Centre

During World War I the premises were expanded to produce military vehiclesThe name changed to Albion Motors in 1930In 1951 Albion amalgamated with Leyland Ltd but vehicles still being manufactured under the Albion brandThe Albion name disappeared in 1972 until 1993 when a new company Albion Automotive revived the name. This automotive company still has a presence on Balmoral Street (formerly Harland &amp; Wolff engineering works) which you can view if you head towards the River Clyde.

Albion Motor Car Company (1899) opened the Scotstoun manufacturing plant in 1903 after outgrowing premises on Finnieston Street. Originally manufacturing motor cars Albion had switched to mostly commercial vehicles by 1913

Albion Motor Car Company

From Heart of Scotstoun Community Centre cross Balmoral Street to the opposite side (before the bridge,) and take the pathway signposted to NCN 7

This cycle path is the former Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway (1896) which had three stations within the Scotstoun and Whiteinch area: Scotstoun (West), Scotstoun (East) and Whiteinch Riverside.

Please remember that NCN 7 is a shared path so watch out for cyclists/pedestrians/dogs

Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway / NCN 7 cycle path

Serving as a stark reminder that the areas of Scotstoun and further afield Clydebank were targets in World War II, this Nissen Hut still remains intact.These huts were originally invented and built as housing for troops in WW1, being extremely transportable and easily assembledIn WWII the huts were used as shelters for bombed out civilians and many still remain intact with a variety of different uses

Nissen Hut

Often just referred to as "The Cottages", Harland Cottages consists of four rows of cottage flats and are one of the interesting architectural features of Scotstoun.  Originally constructed as homes for those who worked at the famous shipyards of Glasgow



Harland Cottages

A pathway of sorts leads from the cycle path to where Henrietta Street meets with Fore Street. This path was once a staircase giving access to the platform of Scotstoun East Station (1896) from the nearby housing. You can walk alongside the remains of the platform stonework and the old station buildings are still visible below the cycle path on Fore StreetLooking south from this point there are views of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (2015) across the Clyde. To the north on the hill can be glimpsed the copper clad towers of the remaining buildings of what was Jordanhill College of Education (1922)

Henrietta Street

Standing on the cycle path directly above Methil Street you see AMK Van Hire to the south. Their well-known red vans are a common sight on the roads around Scotstoun

To the north you see the roundabout at the end of the Clydeside Expressway.

Methil Street railway bridge

On the cycle path between Henrietta Street and Scotstoun Street are the remains of the platform stonework of Scotstoun (East) railway station (1896) 

There are views of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (2015) looking south across the River Clyde.



Scotstoun East Station

This railway bridge formed part of the platform of Scotstoun East station

Looking north you catch a glimpse of the copper clad towers of the remaining buildings of what was Jordanhill College of Education (1922).

Underneath the cycle path where Scotstoun Street and Fore Street meet you can see some of the arched windows and doorways belonging to the original railway buildings. There is a safe exit ramp from the cycle path at Henrietta Street to the west should you wish to have a look

Scotstoun Street railway bridge

The few remaining buildings of Barclay Curle's can still be seen - look for the distinctive curved roof. This roof opened to allow the Titan Crane to drop engines in to the yardBarclay Curle Industrial Complex now sits on the site of the shipyard

Barclay Curle & Co Ltd shipyard

This 150 ton crane serviced the North British Diesel Engine Works (1912) as part of Barclay Curle & Co Ltd shipyard (1855)

The best views of this massive crane are from the cycle path just west of the Primrose Street exit




Whiteinch Hammerhead crane

Primrose Street was a tram terminus and from 1902 the place where track changes were made at the Scotstoun-Whiteinch districts boundary.






Primrose Street

Along the cycle path there is a sharp exit to the left with signposts, leading to St Paul’s Primary School (1974), at Primrose Street in Whiteinch. This school was built as a replacement for the building on Dumbarton Road which housed both St Paul's primary and church

St Paul's primary school

Adjacent to the site of St George's Co-operative Society the corner building now occupied by Scotstoun Emporium has been a much valued hardware store within the community for over 100 years In 1931 a ‘Dalmuir West via Bridgton Cross’ tram left the rails and fell into the window of the shop at this corner. The incident was allegedly reported in an Italian newspaper of the time!

Scotstoun Emporium

Established in 1903 Victoria Park Bowling Club sits on the corner of Westland Drive and Dumbarton Road surrounded by hedging. Two entrance gates allow access, a secluded one at the approach to the Clydeside Expressway underpass and a more prominent one at the T junction, both have the name and year of opening on the the metal gates Follow the signposted pathway towards the Clydeside Expressway underpass to reach the southern end of Victoria Park Nature Walk.

Victoria Park Bowling Club

Primrose Court sheltered housing complex now occupies the entrance to this station On of two railway lines to serve Whiteinch and Scotstoun, the Whiteinch Railway Company opened Whiteinch Goods Mineral and Livestock station in 1874 as part of the line which ran from Dumbarton Road to Crow Road. The Whiteinch Tramway Company continued the line across Dumbarton Road and through fields (ultimately the site of Scotstoun Street) to the river.Cattle was brought from the wharves at the Clyde to the goods yard at Whiteinch Victoria Park station or driven from the yard to the wharves. In 1891 the North British Railway bought the Whiteinch Railway Company, introducing a passenger service in 1897.In 1934, 50 Canadian bullocks stampeded from Merkland's Wharf and caused chaos in the area for quite some time. A train at Jordanhill station had to be delayed while cattle were removed from the line, and visitors to Victoria Park were entertained by the sight of a number of beasts paddling in the pond. Allotments in Scotstoun were tramples on and a football match being played on a pitch beside Crow Road had to be delayed until the drovers could round up the animals

Whiteinch Goods Mineral and Livestock station

At the southern end of the Victoria Park Nature Walk path is the unmarked site of significant railway sidings and buildings associated with Lanarkshire & Dunbartonshire Railway line, including the Goods Yard of Whiteinch Victoria Park Station (1896).

Used as a cycle path, a pedestrian walkway and a popular dog walking route, it is easily accessed from all parts of the community via lanes and underpasses. The nature trail runs from the end of the Expressway in East Scotstoun up to to Westbrae Drive in Jordanhill.

Victoria Park Nature Trail (south area)

Ths Whiteinch Victoria Park railway station was built when the train line started to accommodate passenger trains in addition to goods trains. No remains of the station are to be seen on what is now the Victoria Park Nature WalkThe line opened in 1874 for goods, then a passenger service began in 1897. It closed to passengers in 1951 and to goods in 1965. For a long time it lay derelict and was known as the ‘dummy railway’. Great fun when you were a child

Whiteinch Victoria Park railway station

At the end of the green open space of the nature trail and with Victoria Park Lane North on the left it is a short distance to the junction of Westland Drive and the busy Clydeside Expressway. The pavement to the left is your route up Westland Drive.  

Westland Drive starts in Whiteinch at Dumbarton road with Victoria Park Bowling Green on your left. It then crosses the Clydeside Expressway continuing past Victoria Park to the double roundabouts at the end of Danes Drive, and slowly climbs up past St Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Jordanhill before levelling out again at the top of the nature trail

Westland Drive

The Whiteinch Homes (now a category B listed building) were built around 1890 by the James Allan Trust in the style of English 17th century almshouses. They were intended originally for elderly employees of the Allan Shipping Line. In the 1980s the building was acquired by the Thomas Chalmers Housing Association, and reopened after refurbishment in 1989 as a care home for the elderly. The buildings now form Westland Drive sheltered housing complex and are managed by Bield

Whiteinch Homes

The building has been in Church of Scotland ownership since 1945 but was opened as Glasgow Institution for Orphan &amp; Destitute Girls (1891). The Home accommodated fifty-three resident girls in 1904, rising to sixty-one in 1905. They attended the local school and received at least one year's training in the Home in every branch of housework, before they were found employment, usually in domestic service.During a period from 1945 young apprentices at Albion Motor Car Company and Yarrow’s whose homes were in the north of Scotland or Western Isles were accommodated as lodgers in the Church of Scotland Homes.

Glasgow Institution for Orphan & Destitute Girls

The Danes Drive Bridge crossed the branch line of the Whiteinch Railway Company (1874) from Dumbarton Road in Scotstoun to Crow Road at Jordanhill. This railway company was bought over by North British Railway (1891) and introduced a passenger service in 1897

Danes Drive railway bridge

Looking to the right is a modern housing development Lennox Gardens which was once the site of Whiteinch Episcopalian church

St David's Episcopal Church was built around the end of the 19th century and demolished in around 1975. It was a modest hut, surrounded by a grassed area, and served as an outreach church for All Saints Church in Woodend Drive, Jordanhill.A modern housing development Lennox Gardens now sits on the site once occupied by the church

St David's Episcopal Church

Unusually lovely, out-of-the-ordinary lamp-posts, with decorative flourishes and historic detail, crop up here and there amongst the more municipal, boring ones. These intriguing lamps – some are attached to buildings, rather than mounted on posts – are a reminder of an old Scottish tradition. As the Provost had no official residence in Glasgow, it became a tradition to place a pair of lamp posts at their personal residence

This tradition used to be observed throughout Scotland and originated from the practice of lighting lamps at the homes of bailies, or civic officials. The gas-lit lamps bore the burgh or city coat of arms and highlighted where people could find the bailies if they needed them.

During the twentieth century, the gas-lit lamps were replaced with electric ones, and could be installed above tenement doors or on flats

Provost's lamp (1 Danes Drive)

Lennox Avenue was the first of the avenues to be built in Scotstoun Conservation area
There are five blocks of ‘artisan cottage flats’ built with red and cream brick and having long gardens.  These were built by Scotstoun Estate Building Company established in 1895 reputedly to provide homes for estate workers.


Lennox Avenue

The avenues of Scotstoun Conservation area were built between the end of 19C and 1912 starting at Lennox Avenue from the eastern end, Vancouver Road, Duncan Avenue, Ormiston Avenue, Dunglass Avenue, and lastly Verona Avenue at the western end. The western side of Queen Victoria Drive are also part of the conservation area.
Going from North to South - Danes Drive, Norse Road, Earlbank Avenue and Dumbarton Rd
The last houses in the conservation area are situated across Danes Drive on Northland Drive and Upland Road (terraced houses only)

Names of some of the avenues changed between 1913 and 1933 but at the ends of terraces the original names of the ‘cottages’ are discernible.  On the stonework of the Earlbank Avenue terraces you may see ‘Camperdown Cottages’ on the south side terraces but ‘Howe Cottages’ on the north side terraces.

The streets and houses at the western end of this area were last to be built and have fewer embellishments to the stonework.  A noticeable element of this is in the terrace names:  as you walk along the north side of Norse Road there are no terrace end names in the stonework but on the south side of the same street ‘Oscar Cottages’ appears at the ends of terraces. 

Similarly the avenues running from Dumbarton Road to Danes Drive are distinguished as ‘Darnley Cottages’, ‘Moray Cottages’ and ‘Haldane Cottages’ only as you move towards the eastern boundaries of the conservation area.



Scotstoun Conservation Area (east section)

Scotstoun primary school was opened in 1901 at a cost of £14,000. As well as teaching reading, writing and arithmetic, the school also provided cookery and science lessons. It was built to accommodate 1,280 pupils, although just before the Second World War there were 1,314 children on the roll Near the junction with Duncan Avenue the original stone supports for the school gate has ‘BOYS’ etched in the stonework, a reminder of times past when boys and girls had separate playgrounds and entrances. The 'GIRLS' gates are near the junction with Ormiston Avenue The southern façade of Scotstoun Primary School has ‘Renfrew Landward School Board’ above the windows of the classrooms as Scotstoun did not become part of Glasgow Corporation until 1926.

Scotstoun Primary School

No 92 Earlbank Avenue is at the junction with Dunglass Avenue.  This house is of particular interest in relation to the history of The Albion Motor Car Company:  in 1903 Thomas Blackwood Murray, one of the co-founders of ‘The Albion’ is recorded to have bought this house and to live there with his wife, three children and three servants!  

The other co-founder Norman Osborne Fulton was married from 8 Ormiston Avenue to Margaret, a sister of Blackwood Murray.  This house although nearby is not part of the heritage trail


92 Earlbank Avenue

Unusually lovely, out-of-the-ordinary lamp-posts, with decorative flourishes and historic detail, crop up here and there amongst the more municipal, boring ones. These intriguing lamps – some are attached to buildings, rather than mounted on posts – are a reminder of an old Scottish tradition. As the Lord/Lady Provost had no official residence in Glasgow, it became a tradition to place a pair of lamp posts at their personal residence

This tradition used to be observed throughout Scotland and originated from the practice of lighting lamps at the homes of bailies, or civic officials. The gas-lit lamps bore the burgh or city coat of arms and highlighted where people could find the bailies if they needed them.

During the twentieth century, the gas-lit lamps were replaced with electric ones, and could be installed above tenement doors or on flats

Provost's lamp (122 Earlbank Avenue)

Victoria Drive Higher Grade Public School was opened on 31 August 1909. The three story building cost £19,537 and provided accommodation for 1,200 pupils in 23 classrooms. The ground floor was for infants, the first floor for juniors and the second floor for higher grade pupils. An annexe to the school was built in the mid-1930s at the corner of Danes Drive and Queen Victoria Drive, and additional accommodation was added to the rear of the building in Queen Victoria Drive in the 1960s. During the Second World War a barrage balloon was situated in Raploch Avenue where part of the school playground was located at the time.

All that remains of Victoria Drive School is the stone posts at either corner of Birchfield Drive and Larchfield Avenue which serve as a reminder that schools were built with separate entrances and playgrounds for girls and boys

Victoria Drive School (site of)

A temporary iron building was erected on this site and opened for worship in 1901. Work began on a permanent stone church in May 1905 and the first service was held in October 1906. The church's bell was donated by Miss Louisa Gibb and when this tolled on a Sunday latecomers were known to comment that they'd better hurry up as Louisa as calling them!

The congregation joined with Scotstoun East Parish Church (originally Scotstoun United Free Church) in the late 1980s and the old church fell into disrepair. It was destroyed by fire on bonfire night in 1997 and subsequently demolished. Flats now stand on its site

The original posts and fencing are all that remain of this category B listed building

Scotstoun West Church

During the Blitz a bomb was dropped between Earl Street killing 66 people and injuring many more

This residential street was build in the 1890s to provide homes for the influx of workers to Scotstoun in the late 19th century. The buildings are typical of Glasgow’s red sandstone tenements. Sandwiched between Dumbarton Road and the NCN 7 cycle path, Earl Street starts and ends at the boundaries of Scotstoun - Henrietta Street (east) and Ardsloy Place (west) - making it the longest street entirely within Scostoun.

Scotstoun Heritage Trail - eastern loop

Scotstoun Parish Church

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources